Tecnologie

Good photos and even underwater videos

Gone are the days when we could not get our cameras and cell phones wet. Nowadays, it is possible to go diving and take photos of the fish

By Editorial Team

For families who like the water, whether practicing water sports (rafting, surfing, stand up paddle or kayaking) or underwater (snorkeling and diving), an underwater camera is essential for taking the best photos and videos. This is also true when going to beach destinations or waterfalls. Imagine being in Bonito, the Caribbean or at the Macuco Safari in Foz do Iguaçu, and not being able to take photos? If the truth be told, nothing can match the reality and the emotion of the scene that happens before your eyes. However, with today’s increasingly advanced technology, it is also possible to have high quality photos and videos that can provide great memories.

Martin D’Alessandro is a photographer in Búzios, who specializes in “wet” surfing and diving photos, by following the athletes of these sports. Professionally, he uses a Nikon D850 camera inside a waterproof case with a complete sealing to enter the water. However, he agrees that the well-known Go Pro has the practicality of being small, practical and with excellent performance, even more with the variety of accessories that come with the camera. In order to use it underwater, it’s good to have accessories such as the Floaty, which is a protective, fluorescent, floating case or a Handler, which is a hand grip that also floats with the camera. A diving mask, to which the Go Pro can be directly attached is also excellent for filming while you are swimming. The interesting thing about the Go Pro is also the modernity of the application, which downloads the photos and videos directly to your cell phone.

“The worst feeling is that of losing the camera in deep water. This is why it’s important to think about the accessories and not just the quality of the camera” says Martin d’Alessandro, of Mahalo Photography.

For those who do not want to invest in a sports camera and who already have a good camera, an interesting option is to buy a waterproof case with an optical viewfinder, because there are several available in the market. In this case, the important thing is to focus on the sealing, of course, and the depth capability of the camera; generally, non-professional cases can go 10 m or 20 m underwater.

The most modern cell phones such as the iPhone 13 and the Samsung Galaxy S22 claim to be waterproof. However, it is worthwhile testing this feature in an accident or on a rainy day, because they are programmed to resist for only 30 minutes underwater and at a depth of only 1 m or 1.5 m. In conclusion, they are still not designed to be fully submerged for a long time and certainly not in salty or chlorinated water, which can damage their processors. In this situation, the best thing is again to opt for a waterproof cell phone case, which seals completely. A good test before placing your camera or cell phone in a case is to close it with a paper napkin inside and to leave it underwater for a while. If it comes out dry, you know it works. One practical thing is that they often have a cord in order to put your cell phone around your neck so that you will not lose it while you are enjoying yourself. The bad thing is that, for the most part, the touchscreen loses a significant amount of sensitivity. The Seawag case is good for this, because the touchscreen keeps working and it can be submerged up to 25m in depth.

With any of these solutions, you will be able to take good videos and photos of your family underwater. Children, because they are smaller, already have at their disposal some models of cameras available that are designed to be anti-shock and waterproof, anticipating frolics and fumbles, such as the Coolpix W150 by Nikon or FinePix XP120 by Fujifilm. It’s a cool gift for kids and teens to take pictures of their friends in the pool on their next vacation.